Love Bond
by Dazzlious
Summary: When Sophie discovers the day before her eighteenth birthday that she has been given to Professor Snape in payment for a debt she isn't very happy, and her mood doesn't doesn't improve when the Potions Master refuses to release her. Instead he gives her two choices; but which one will she go for?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: _While I'm still in the Christmas spirit I thought I would post this little story. It's set in Harry's fifth year at school but none of the trio are involved in this one._ _As ever, I don't own any of the characters, except for the ones I invented, nor am I making any money from the story. I hope you enjoy! Dx_

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><p>Sophie sat in her room, trying not to cry. She sat at her dressing table and looked at herself in the mirror. She was a pretty girl, she had been told. She knew she wasn't completely stunning but she was attractive enough, she supposed, with short blonde hair and big blue eyes that sparkled when she smiled; except today she wasn't smiling and her eyes were red-rimmed from the tears that kept threatening to break free. Her figure was average — not too thin, not too fat — almost classic hourglass, although if she was honest she had never been happy about her large breasts and spent most of her time trying to conceal them with well-cut clothes that disguised their size. She sighed and rose from the dressing table, dropping onto it the letter she had just read. Rubbing at her itchy eyes, she turned and walked to the wardrobe to look for some clothes.<p>

She honestly couldn't see anything she wanted to wear. She sighed again and sat down, this time on the bed. She wished she had left reading the letter until after breakfast. Maybe she would have been better able to deal with it then . . . although maybe not, considering what it contained. Looking again at the wardrobe, she opted for a baggy track suit teamed with a hugely oversized round-necked t-shirt. Neither the track suit or the t-shirt would be her usual choice of attire as it had a tendency to make her look a bit fat and lumpy, but she had brought it to school last year in case she decided to do some jogging. Until just now it had sat completely undisturbed in the bottom of her wardrobe. It wasn't stylish, was hideous in fact, but after the letter she didn't want to look like her usual self in any way. Having made sure her body was adequately covered, she headed out and made her way down to the Great Hall to join her friends. Steph, her best friend, joined her on the next landing. She looked at Sophie with concern as they walked together.

'Are you okay, Soph? You look dreadful!' Steph said worriedly.

Sophie stared at her friend with a small frown on her face. 'Cheers for that, mate,' she said, trying to laugh but failing miserably. 'You really know how to make a girl feel good, don't you?'

Steph grinned as she plucked at the massive t-shirt. 'I didn't mean it like that, sorry. But what the hell are you dressed like that for? You look like you're wearing a sack . . . and have you been crying?'

Sophie shrugged. 'I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I was having a wardrobe crisis this morning and couldn't find anything to wear so I just dumped this on for quickness. Not exactly stylish, I know, but as it's Sunday and we're only going to be lazing around all day I don't think I really need to get the crown jewels out.'

They entered the Great Hall and made their way to the Gryffindor table, pausing to chat to a couple of friends on the way. Fred and George Weasley offered the girls seats opposite them, but Sophie couldn't face the twins' jokes this morning and instead opted to sit at the end of the table.

'Are you sure you're okay?' Steph asked, looking at her friend worriedly as they sat down.

Sophie sighed. 'I'm sorry, Steph. I had a letter from my father this morning that rather upset me. I can't face the twins and their stupid jokes at the moment. I'm finding them a little grating right now.'

'Why did it upset you?' Steph asked, looking at her friend with worry. 'There's nothing wrong at home, is there?'

Sophie gave a tiny shake of her head, then glanced piercingly at her friend for a moment. 'I'm really sorry, Steph, but I just don't want to talk about it at the moment.' She filled a goblet with pumpkin juice and took a sip.

Steph nodded good-naturedly. 'Okay, hun, I won't push. But if you change your mind and need someone to offload on, you know where I am.' She helped herself to some toast and opened her copy of the _Daily Prophet_, which had just arrived with the post owls.

Sophie poured herself a cup of tea, not sure she could manage any food, and closed her eyes for a second before looking up at the head table. Everything was as usual and she could see the Headmaster talking to Professor McGonagall. Many of the other teachers were also in conversation but Professor Snape was concentrating on eating his breakfast, looking up occasionally to check on the studenttables as he always did. For a second their eyes met as he looked towards the Gryffindor table, but he soon looked back at his plate, not taking any more notice of her than any of the other students in the room.

Sophie knew from the sick feeling in her stomach that she wasn't going to be able to eat anything so she said goodbye to Steph and made her way back up to her room, glad that as a senior Prefect she finally had a room to herself so no dorm mates would feel the need to pry into her private affairs. Once safely inside, she picked up the letter from the dressing table and threw herself down onto the bed to read it once more, hoping she would find the contents had changed but knowing she wouldn't. It wasn't a magic letter, and however much she wanted to hope the contents weren't true, a little part of her deep down inside knew they were.

She had realised it was something serious when the owl turned up at her window first thing in the morning rather than waiting to deliver at breakfast as it normally would. For a moment her heart was in her mouth and she was scared to open the missive, worried that it was bad news from home — that she would discover someone was seriously ill or, worse still, that they had died. She had definitely not expected to read what the letter actually contained, and after taking in the words that chilled her through and through, she couldn't help but wish it had been about illness or a death in the family. Anything would be better than the words she had been forced to read.

Sophie knew she needed to talk to someone about it but she wasn't sure who would be the best choice. Not her Head of House, Professor McGonagall. Sophie had never been very close to the teacher, and this was far too embarrassing and personal to discuss with her. For a moment she considered talking to the Headmaster about it but she knew that would be even worse, especially if he turned those kind blue eyes on her. Really, there was only one person she could discuss it with. Her mind made up, she picked up the letter, tucked it into her pocket, and headed back out of Gryffindor Tower to make her way to the dungeons. When she reached the Potion Master's study she hesitated for a moment, then gathered her courage and knocked gently on the door. She waited until she heard his voice, then opened the door and entered the room. Professor Snape was sitting at his desk writing on a parchment, and after a moment he looked up, appearing rather surprised to see Sophie, and indicated that she should sit down.

'Why are you here, Miss Carter?' he asked curiously, his voice rich like silk. The scowl on his face was less defined than usual.

Sophie didn't speak but passed him the letter and waited while he read it. Once he finished he passed it back and looked at her appraisingly.

'Is it true?' she asked quietly.

Snape continued to look at her without speaking for a moment and then nodded, his face serious. 'It is. However, I obviously had no idea it would be you.'

Sophie wasn't sure what to say next. She fought to stop the tears that were threatening to fall again. 'Does it make a difference that it's me?' She looked at the teacher hopefully.

'No.' Snape's voice was dark and sombre. 'The bargain was struck many years ago and payment is due. It is unfortunate that you are one of my students, but ultimately it makes absolutely no difference.' He paused for a moment, then asked, 'When is your eighteenth birthday?'

'Tomorrow,' Sophie whispered.

'Ah. And you learnt of this when?' Snape looked at her in concern.

'The letter arrived this morning, sir.'

A look of annoyance settled on Snape's face. 'Your father only gave you one day's notice?'

Sophie nodded sadly.

'Well, I really am very sorry about that, Miss Carter,' Snape said, trying to sound consoling although he wasn't sure he managed it. 'It is rather unfortunate that he didn't give you more warning, but I'm afraid there really is nothing to be done.'

Sophie looked desperately at Snape. 'So what will happen?' she asked.

'You will need to come to me, here, tomorrow evening. Enjoy your birthday first.'

Sophie laughed bitterly. 'I don't think that's going to happen now, is it?'

Snape's scowl increased but he didn't say anything.

Sophie looked at him for a moment more but knew she would get nothing further from the taciturn teacher. She tucked the letter into her pocket as she stood up.

'I'll see you tomorrow evening, then,' she said, her quiet voice trembling with emotion. She was trying hard not to cry. Then, without saying anything further, she headed for the door.

Snape watched Sophie go and for a moment considered calling her back. But he knew that realistically there was nothing he could say that would comfort or improve the situation for her, so he didn't do anything. After she left he sat for a long while, considering things. Finally he Flooed the Headmaster and requested to see him. 

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><p>Albus Dumbledore looked at the Potions Master with concern. Snape's scowl was more pronounced than usual and he obviously wasn't happy.<p>

'You wanted to talk to me, Severus?' Dumbledore asked gently.

Snape sighed and looked at the Headmaster morosely. 'I have a problem, Albus,' he stated, his voice sounding dull and flat.

Dumbledore looked at him, waiting for his friend to continue. Snape put his head in his hands for a moment, then looked up again and stared bleakly at the Headmaster.

'Many years ago, when I was a Death Eater, I helped another wizard and his wife to get away from the Dark Lord. I don't really want to go into the details as it wasn't very pleasant, but it left this man very much in debt to me. Unfortunately for him he had no way to repay the debt, and in desperation he bonded his daughter to me.'

He looked at Dumbledore, who nodded thoughtfully but kept quiet, waiting for Snape to continue.

'It definitely wasn't one of my finer moments, Albus, but I was young and selfish,' Snape admitted with a bitter laugh. 'Well, younger and more selfish, anyway, and the idea of a beautiful young woman to grant my every wish was obviously very appealing at the time. The bond was made legally binding. Being the person I was then, it would suffice to say that there is absolutely no way it can be broken, and of course every possible loophole for her escape has been covered. The girl becomes my legal property, and under one of the terms of the bond my lover, on her eighteenth birthday.'

Snape stopped talking and stared at Dumbledore, who looked at him without any trace of emotion on his face.

'Continue, Severus,' Dumbledore said quietly after a few seconds of silence, once he realised Snape was waiting for him to say something.

'I have had no contact with the family in question since that day — part of the deal that would help to ensure their anonymity and stop any chance of them being found by any who may suspect that I helped them. I had in truth almost entirely forgotten about the agreement, although peripherally I was aware that eventually the debt would become due and the young woman would be sent my way. I am not sure why the possibility never occurred to me previously, probably because I hadn't thought about it for many years, but this morning I discovered that my future lover is one of our students. She came to see me a little while ago, having just received a letter from her father informing her of the bond.'

Snape looked furious now. 'The bastard didn't even have the decency to tell her of her destiny earlier, Albus. He waited until the day before her eighteenth birthday to inform her that her life is no longer her own.' Snape shook his head, not understanding how a father could do such a thing to his daughter. Bleakly he added, 'So tomorrow she turns eighteen and legally becomes my property and my lover — even though she obviously has no desire to be either.'

Dumbledore stared at his friend, considering for several seconds what he had just been told. 'And there really is no way to break the bond?' he asked quietly.

'None, I'm afraid. The terms of the bond were very specific and completely legally binding. Being the idiot I was then, I employed the use of some extremely old and complex magic to ensure that she couldn't get away from me. My views on such an arrangement have now changed, but unfortunately neither of us has any choice in this.'

'May I ask who it is?' Dumbledore asked carefully.

'Sophie Carter,' Snape replied bleakly.

'Ah.' Dumbledore stroked his beard as he thought. 'She certainly is a lovely young woman, Severus.'

Snape scowled again as he snapped, 'Yes, thank you, Headmaster. I'm already well aware of that . . . and young is the operative word. When I was only just older than she is now it never occurred to me just how young she would seem when the bond became due.'

The two men sat in silence for a while. Then Dumbledore said, 'So what are you going to do, Severus?'

'What can I do? I've asked her to come and see me tomorrow evening. I had hoped she could enjoy her birthday first but of course, as she so eloquently pointed out, I've completely ruined any chance of that for her.'

'Well, if there really is no choice then I suggest you do everything you can to make her happy. Perhaps you can do something to celebrate her birthday.' Dumbledore smiled as Snape continued to scowl. The Headmaster gave a small sigh. 'A departure for you, I know, Severus, but I'm sure you could do something nice for her, especially as she is bonded to you.'

Snape thought for a moment. 'One of the terms of the bond allows me to free her, if I wish it, after . . . .' He broke off for a moment as if embarrassed at what he was admitting to. 'After we have consummated the relationship, so to speak. I therefore intended to break the bond after tomorrow night. I thought maybe it would be for the best.'

'So you intend to sleep with the girl and then cast her off like a common whore?' Dumbledore asked sharply.

Snape's scowl deepened. 'That wasn't quite how I saw it, Albus.' He sounded pained. 'I just thought she might prefer her freedom rather than being stuck in a relationship with me. If I could grant that without the sex I would, but it's not possible. There really is some very old and complex magic involved in this bonding.'

Dumbledore looked shrewdly at his friend. 'I think perhaps you might be better off waiting for a few days before you consider breaking the bond. Sophie is a sensible girl and will no doubt have resigned herself to her fate by tomorrow. Casting her away after one night as your ward might cause more harm than good in the long run. But please, Severus, do me a favour and find a way to help her celebrate her birthday. I think that really would be the best thing you could do for her at the moment.'

Snape nodded curtly and the Headmaster stood up.

'Perhaps you should take her out to dinner,' he suggested with a smile. 'I am sure a nice evening out would help everything go much more smoothly, especially if you have a lot of explaining to do.'

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><p>That evening Sophie sat in the Library, where she was hiding from her friends and trying to do her Herbology homework, but she couldn't concentrate. All that kept running through her mind was her conversation with Professor Snape. The letter from her father had been bad enough, but to find that not only was it true but there was nothing that could be done to stop it — no: nothing the Potions Master <em>would <em>do to stop it — was a nightmare. Surely if Professor Snape wanted to he could let her go. He obviously just didn't want to.

Sophie, in common with most of the students, had never been very keen on Professor Snape. Like most Gryffindors she had been on the receiving end of his sharp tongue several times over the years; he seemed to have a special reserve of vitriol for students from her House. And things had definitely got worse since Harry Potter joined the school.

She thought about what she was going to have to do the following night and shuddered. The only person in the school with whom she would less like to have sex with was Argus Filch, who really gave her the creeps. Professor Snape was almost as old as her parents, incredibly ugly, even more ill-tempered, and so sarcastic that people were scared to say anything around him in case they caught his sharp tongue. In fact, he had no redeeming qualities at all as far as she could see, and now it appeared he had a thing for teenage girls on top of everything else. Sophie couldn't help but shudder when she thought about someone like him being a teacher. How many other poor girls had he taken advantage of over the years? Well, perhaps if she refused to do what he wanted he would change his mind about her and release her. She could only hope so, anyway.

She still couldn't believe her father had done this to her. What on earth could he owe to Professor Snape that he would sell his own daughter to him without a fight? Surely nothing could be that important. She rubbed at her eyes, which itched with unshed tears, then gave up on her homework. There was no way she could concentrate. She had a headache, she felt sick, and the sense of impending doom was growing as the clock ticked closer to midnight and the start of her eighteenth birthday . . . the start of her enforced bondage to Professor Snape. She packed her bag and wandered back to her room, where she lay in bed trying not to think about the awful man she was about to be stuck with for the rest of her life.

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><p>When Sophie woke the following morning, for a few happy moments she completely forgot what the day was going to bring. But before she had even had time to wake up properly Steph was banging on her door shouting, 'Happy Birthday!' Sophie's heart sank. Oh yes: today was the day she had to give up her freedom. Worse still, she was going to have to have sex with the snarky Potions Master.<p>

She opened the door and tried to smile at her friend, but Steph wasn't fooled.

'What's the matter, Soph?' she asked worriedly. 'You've been upset since yesterday. Is it still something to do with the letter from your dad?'

Sophie nodded but didn't answer. How could she tell her friend what her life had just become? Steph would surely be disgusted as well as sympathetic, and Sophie didn't think she could cope with all the pitying looks her friend would be certain to throw her way. Nor did she want everyone else to find out about her shameful secret, which they would, as Steph had never been the most subtle of people.

'Well, whatever it is, put it out of your mind for today,' Steph said soothingly as she followed her friend into the bedroom. 'It's your birthday and you need to celebrate!' She gave Sophie a hug, then handed her a brightly wrapped parcel.

She dumped herself onto Sophie's bed and watched excitedly as the birthday girl opened the box and gasped with delight when she saw the beautiful dress Steph had bought her. Sophie had seen the dress and tried it on the last time they went to Hogsmeade and had admired it greatly, but never seriously considered owning it as she was unlikely to have anywhere to wear it; sadly there had been no hint of another ball happening at the school. The gown was a beautiful shade of forest green, a figure-fitting wrap-over design in a silky material that draped perfectly, accentuating her best features. She grabbed her best friend and gave her a huge hug of gratitude. The wonderful present was, for a moment, enough to make her forget about her problems. She looked at herself in the mirror as she held the dress up in front of her, once again thinking how beautiful it was. Then she put it on a hanger and the two of them made their way down to breakfast.

When they reached the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall Sophie was surprised to see a huge pile of cards already on the table by her usual seat. She was greeted enthusiastically by her housemates, especially the twins, who each gave her a big kiss before showering her with all sorts of goodies. She began to open the gifts and cards but finally had to admit defeat, overwhelmed by the quantity which continued to grow as more friends arrived at the table, all wishing her a happy birthday. With laughter she pushed them all to one side and instead tucked into a hearty breakfast, realising that she was starving after her lack of food the previous day.

Snape sat at the head table and occasionally looked in Sophie's direction, watching her as she celebrated her birthday with her friends. He was glad she appeared to be having a good time and that the bad news she had received only the day before hadn't completely spoiled her special day. He glanced at the Headmaster and saw that he, too, was looking at the young woman, an unreadable expression on his face.

Once Sophie finished eating she got back to opening her cards and presents, thanking her friends profusely for their generosity. Upon opening one particularly thick envelope she found an elegant yet understated birthday card that was a completely different style from the others. She looked at it in interest, then opened it. It was from Professor Snape. She caught the signature, and not wanting her friends to see it, she rapidly closed it and put it at the bottom of the pile of cards she had already opened. How could she explain to them why the Potions Master was sending her a birthday card without giving away the secret she didn't want anyone to know about? She quickly glanced at the head table but Professor Snape was busy conversing with Professor Sinistra, so she looked away before she raised suspicion amongst her friends and was soon drawn into a conversation with Lee while she finished opening her cards and presents.

Sophie took her gifts to her room before going to the first lesson of the day. She dropped them on the bed and picked up the card from Professor Snape and opened it. She looked at the message and felt her heart hammering in her chest.

_Sophie,_

_Please accept my warmest congratulations on your eighteenth birthday. It will be my pleasure to take you to dinner this evening to celebrate. I will meet you by the school gates at 8 p.m._

_Regards,_

_Severus (Snape, Professor)_

Sophie sighed and threw the card onto the bed with the other items. She really didn't want to go to dinner with Professor Snape, but did she have any choice? Why did he want to take her? Did he think she would succumb to him more easily if he gave her a nice meal first?

She grabbed her bag and ran out of the room, realising she was going to be late for her first lesson — great, and it was Potions with her now least favourite teacher, too! For a moment the thought ran through her mind that he wasn't likely to give her detention if he was going to be taking her out tonight. She almost laughed at the thought that a Gryffindor would finally get away with rule-breaking in his class. But of course nothing was certain with Professor Snape. He could just as easily decide that detention would do equally as well as a meal — after all, they would still be alone together. She really didn't fancy getting detention on her birthday. She ran down the corridor toward the classroom, just managing to catch the back of the queue as the class filed in. Professor Snape looked at her as she slid into her seat, but she busied herself determinedly looking in a different direction.

The lesson went more quickly than Sophie had expected. She had thought maybe the Potions Master would pay more attention to her and dreaded being singled out, but if anything he ignored her more than normal. Of course, it helped that the twins were causing mayhem in their usual fashion, completely ignoring the potion they were supposed to be making in order to concentrate instead on one of their own. At the end of the lesson Sophie was one of the last to clear up and was still packing her bag when Professor Snape appeared at her desk.

'I would like a quick word before you leave, please, Miss Carter.' Snape's voice was dark and smooth, like molten chocolate, and for a change held no hint of sarcasm.

The twins both stopped at the door and looked at Sophie and with a wave she motioned to them to go.

Once the two of them were alone in the classroom Snape said, 'Happy birthday, Sophie.'

'Thank you, sir, and thank you for the card.' Sophie looked into his dark eyes but could see no sign of any emotion.

'You saw the message, I trust?'

'Yes, sir.' Sophie tried not to look or sound as unhappy as she felt, but she knew she wasn't a particularly good actress and probably wasn't doing that good a job of hiding her feelings.

'You don't want to have dinner with me tonight?' Snape's voice was now silkily seductive.

'No, sir . . . I'm sorry.' Sophie frowned, suddenly feeling bad for not wanting to have dinner with the Potions Master. He was obviously trying to make an effort rather than just taking what was now legally his.

Snape gave a small, bitter laugh. 'No, I suppose you don't,' he said musingly. 'However, I was hoping to use the occasion both to celebrate your birthday and for us to get to know each other better.' He looked at Sophie as if making a decision, then added, 'but of course if you really don't want to dine with me, I suppose we can just meet in my study as previously agreed.'

When Sophie didn't answer Snape added gently, 'I really would prefer to take you out to dinner if I can persuade you.' He smiled at her and Sophie realised that when he wasn't scowling he actually wasn't anywhere near as ugly as she had always thought. A smile definitely did improve some people.

She nodded and made the effort to smile, too. 'I'll see you at the gate at eight o'clock, then,' she said as she picked up her bag and made for the door. Turning, she added, 'Should I wear anything in particular? I'm not really used to going out to dinner and I suppose my school uniform won't be suitable.'

Snape stared at her for a second as if surprised by the question, then replied, 'No, I don't think the uniform will be suitable. Perhaps you have a nice dress or something? The restaurant _is_ a good one.'

Sophie nodded, then headed out the door to make her way to her next lesson, wondering what she had just let herself in for.

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><p>Just before eight o'clock Sophie rapidly made her way out of the castle and down towards the gates. She had slipped out quietly so no one knew where she was going, after spending an hour avoiding Steph, the twins and Lee. She knew they were probably wondering where she had got to as they most likely wanted to continue celebrating her birthday. She honestly didn't want anyone to know she was going to dinner with the snarky Potions Master. If nothing else they would wonder why she was doing so, and she had absolutely no intention of telling anyone what her parents had done to her.<p>

She reached the gates just after the set deadline and saw that Professor Snape was already there. His pale face was the only part of him visible in the dark, dressed as he was in his customary black frock coat which was covered in this instance by a good quality travelling cloak of the same colour. He greeted her briefly and led her outside the school gates, explaining that he was going to use Side-along Apparition to take them both to the restaurant. Sophie wasn't keen on Side-along Apparition — she didn't really want him touching her at all — but she knew it was the only way to get there. She had no idea where it was so she couldn't make her own way there. She was pleased with herself for managing to refrain from making a disgusted noise when Professor Snape wrapped his arm around her waist, the somewhat intimate gesture making her feel extremely uncomfortable. The world spun away and a few seconds later they were standing at an Apparition point in an area she didn't recognise. Snape held out his arm, and reluctantly Sophie took hold of it. He led her down the road to an expensive-looking restaurant called the Black Dragon.

When they entered the restaurant Professor Snape gallantly took Sophie's cloak from her. Underneath she wore the green dress Steph had given her for her birthday. She had wondered whether she would be overdressed, but it was immediately obvious from looking around her that the Potions Master had brought her to a really top-class restaurant. If anything, without jewellery the dress was a little plain.

Snape looked at her, that attractive smile back on his face. 'You look beautiful,' he said approvingly, his quiet voice rich and dark.

Sophie couldn't help but smile back at the compliment, although a small part of her felt uncomfortable at the idea that Professor Snape thought her beautiful.

After depositing their cloaks and having a quick conversation with the maitre d', Snape took her hand and led her to a lavishly decorated table in a quiet corner of the restaurant. After seating them both he ordered drinks from the waiter, who joined them immediately, whilst Sophie looked around her. The restaurant was obviously extremely expensive and reeked of class. She had never been anywhere like this before in her life. And to think she would never have had the chance to come here if she hadn't been bonded to Professor Snape. That thought soured the experience a little. He was obviously using the expensive restaurant as some kind of payment for her sleeping with him. It didn't matter how good the restaurant was, it wasn't worth that.

Snape noticed the change in Sophie's demeanour and took hold of her hand. 'Please don't think that I brought you here as some sort of payment for you being my . . . companion. I merely thought that as we were going to celebrate your birthday we may as well do it somewhere nicely decorated, with decent food and drink.' He smiled at her again, then let her hand drop, aware that she still didn't feel comfortable in his company.

The waiter appeared with a bottle of champagne and two crystal flutes. He poured the wine, then left the table.

'A toast for your birthday,' Snape said. He handed Sophie one of the newly-filled glasses and raised his own with a smile. 'Happy eighteenth birthday, Sophie!'

They both drank.

Snape looked as if he had just remembered something. He patted his pockets and finally brought out a beautifully wrapped gift, classically elegant and understated just as the card had been. He passed it across the table to Sophie.

'A birthday gift for you.' His dark voice was soothing as he gazed at her.

Sophie took the present and looked at it. She really didn't want a gift from Professor Snape, but she was far too polite to upset him by refusing it, especially in public. She slowly unwrapped it, taking time to make sure she didn't rip the beautiful paper. Eventually a black leather box was revealed. When she opened the lid she was astonished to see the most gorgeous gift, a pendant necklace and matching earrings. They were exquisite.

'Emerald, diamond and platinum,' Snape said gently as she stared at them in wonder. 'I wondered whether the colours might be wrong. I'm sure you would have preferred rubies and gold.' He grinned at her disarmingly. 'But fortunately they'll go perfectly with the dress you're wearing.'

Sophie was speechless. The jewellery was stunning — but what had he said? Emerald, diamond and platinum? She couldn't accept something so expensive from him, regardless of what their relationship now was.

'They're beautiful, sir,' she murmured. 'But I really can't accept them. They must have cost a fortune.' She looked at Professor Snape a little sadly.

'Of course you can,' Snape said, smiling once again. 'You must wear them now. Go on, put them on.' His voice was firm but light, but Sophie realised he expected to have no argument from her over this. 'And you must call me Severus when we're alone,' he added.

Sophie removed the necklace from the box and placed it around her neck. Professor Snape was right: it was a perfect match for her dress. She added the earrings and suddenly she no longer felt under-dressed. The jewellery added that final finishing touch, and Snape nodded in approval. Taking another sip of the delicious champagne, she turned her attention to the menu.

Snape made a few recommendations; he had obviously eaten there several times before and Sophie took his advice. The teacher ordered for both of them, then settled back with his drink while they waited for the food to arrive. He looked at the young woman in front of him, admiring her. She really was very attractive and the beautiful dress she was wearing added to that attractiveness. He smiled as he looked at the jewellery he had chosen for her. It had been a fortunate choice and really did go very well with the outfit.

He had debated long and hard whether to give her a gift and then decided that he should. As soon as he saw the set he knew they would be perfect for her. They had belonged to his mother and had been sitting, with so much other stuff, in his vault at Gringotts. Such beautiful pieces deserved to be worn and Sophie was the perfect person to wear them. She was completely opposite to his mother in colouring, but she had the same quiet strength about her.

The starter arrived and the couple made small talk, Snape enquiring about her day and about her other gifts; he had noticed the pile at the breakfast table. When the main course arrived he briefly turned the conversation to more serious matters.

'Sophie, I need to explain the terms of the bond to you,' he started, his dark voice as soothing as he could make it. 'However, if you don't mind I would prefer to enjoy the meal first and discuss it with you when we return to the school.' He looked at Sophie, who frowned slightly. 'Of course, if you would prefer to discuss it now we can.'

Sophie thought for a second, then shook her head. 'No, let's enjoy the meal first.' She smiled at Professor Snape. 'Thank you, Severus. For bringing me here and for the present . . . although I still don't think I can keep it.'

The rest of the meal was spent in general discussion. Sophie was surprised to find that the Potions Master had a wide range of knowledge on many subjects, not just potion-making, and was an interesting conversationalist. It turned out that they shared a favourite Quidditch team, Puddlemere United, and they spent a considerable amount of time in happy discussion about the team's performance and their chances in the coming season, especially knowing that former Gryffindor Keeper and Sophie's good friend, Oliver Wood, had joined their reserve team.

By the time the meal was finished and it was time for the couple to make their way back to school, Sophie was surprised to discover that she was enjoying Professor Snape's company and was somewhat disappointed to be leaving, although she knew that partly this was because of what was to follow. This time she was happier about holding onto his arm as they walked to an Apparition spot. She expected him to hold her round the waist again in preparation for their Side-Along Apparition, but surprisingly he told her he would meet her back at the gates, allowing her to Apparate on her own. Once back on school grounds they rapidly made their way to the dungeons, using a route Sophie had never seen before. She had heard that there were secret passages in Hogwarts, everyone had, but only the twins ever seemed to have found any. However, they were obviously using one now.

Professor Snape ushered her through to his private quarters. Once there he poured each of them a glass of brandy. Sophie gratefully accepted hers, even though she was feeling a little tipsy from the wine at dinner. She sat on the sofa, half expecting the Potions Master to join her there; she was certain it wouldn't be much longer before he attempted to collect on his debt. However, he continued to stand, moving in front of the fireplace and gazing at it as if watching a film. Eventually, just when Sophie was beginning to wonder if she should leave, he turned to face her. His face was serious but he was making an obvious effort not to scowl.

'I am sure you think I am being unfair by holding you to the bond that was made with me by your father,' he began. Sophie opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything he held his hand up and continued starkly, 'Of course you do. Anyone would.'

He looked at the young woman in front of him, his eyes full of pain. 'Believe me, if there were any way I could release you from the bond, Sophie, I would do it in an instant.' His dark, rich voice was mournful. He turned back to the fire for a moment as he took a sip of his drink and then faced her once more, his voice firmer now. 'I will not go into the reasons the bond was made. If your father wanted you to know he would have told you. Personally, I think he _should_ have told you, just like he should have warned you sooner about what was going to happen to you . . . but that is his own decision and not one I can do anything about, unfortunately.'

Once again Sophie opened her mouth to speak, and for the second time Snape cut her off before she had a chance. 'Sophie, please give me a chance to explain without interruption and then at the end I will answer any questions you have . . . assuming I can answer them.' He gave a rueful grin.

Feeling a little embarrassed at his gentle rebuke, Sophie nodded and gestured for him to sit next to her on the sofa. But Snape shook his head and stayed standing in front of her.

'As I said, the reason for the bond is not important; however, the terms of the bond are. The agreement that was made legally binding was agreed on by all parties, but it effectively stops me from freeing you unless certain conditions are met.

'Unfortunately, when I was a younger man I was not the person I am now. I thought the idea of a young mistress would be wonderful. Of course I had no concept at that young age, barely older than you are now, just how young you would now seem to me. Plus, of course, at that time I had no idea I would be a teacher and that it would be one of my students who would end up bearing the brunt of this agreement.'

He broke off and took a large gulp of his brandy, then moved to the cabinet to refill his glass. He waved the decanter to offer more to Sophie but she shook her head in refusal.

'As your father informed you, under the terms of the bond you became my property the moment you turned eighteen. As he also intimated, in effect this means you are to become my lover and I can do with you whatever I wish.' He let the words sink in for a moment, ignoring the unhappy look that had once again taken up residence on Sophie's face. He stared at her intently. 'This is the important and difficult bit. Due to a complex piece of bonding law and several extremely ancient enchantments, I am unable to free you unless we have consummated the relationship; and even then I will need to specifically agree to the bond being broken. I could choose not to become intimate with you and keep the relationship on a strictly platonic level, but although that may seem to you at this moment to be the preferable option, in reality it would leave you in an awful situation, I'm afraid, Sophie. You would not be able to marry or even have a romantic relationship with anyone else as you belong to me exclusively, and that would continue to be the case until such time as the circumstances I mentioned a moment ago are met.'

He looked unhappily at Sophie, aware that the expression on her face matched his. 'So as you can see, we are stuck in something of a catch-22 situation here. Either I don't attempt any intimacy with you and thereby condemn you to being stuck with me until such time as that situation changes, or I make you my lover in more than just name and then release you to live your life as you wish it. I am well aware that neither of these options is particularly palatable to you.'

Sophie's brain was spinning as she took in his words. So this bond that had been made wasn't a new thing that had happened recently, as she had assumed. It dated back to when Professor Snape was young, almost as young as she was now. As she considered it she realised she must have been a baby when the agreement was struck, and it chilled her to the bone to think her parents had never mentioned anything at all about it to her throughout her entire life, had never even alluded to it. Had they ever loved her, or had they always just considered her as Professor Snape's property that they were looking after until they could pass her on?

The sense of hurt and betrayal was already descending on her as the stark realisation dawned that there really was no way for her to escape the bond her parents had sold her into without going to Professor Snape's bed, and then only if he decided to release her. Pain tore through her heart — hatred for her parents and their actions and horror at the thought that she was so thoroughly tied to the snarky Potions Master that she might never be free of him. There was hatred for him, too, that he had chosen such a despicable form of payment, regardless of how long ago it had been or that his feelings had changed in the years since.

Snape watched Sophie's face carefully as she digested what he had told her. He knew she wasn't happy, that had already been made perfectly clear the day before; even the nice meal hadn't been enough to dull the horror of what was expected of her, especially now that she knew the specifics. He turned to face the fire once more as he debated what to do. If he could have freed her he would have done it, and the more he thought about it the more convinced he became that the best way to sort this was to get it over and done with as soon as possible. He didn't want this any more than Sophie did; it seemed pointless to drag it out. But then he remembered Albus' words about waiting. Suddenly he knew what he was going to do. Turning, he moved to sit next to Sophie. Before she could stop him or protest he took hold of her hand and looked deeply into her eyes.

Panicked for a moment that he was going to attempt to seduce her, Sophie almost dropped her drink. She managed to recover a little when she realised he wasn't going to touch her, just talk to her again.

'Sophie, I have decided that the decision must be left in your hands. We can consummate the bond now and then, if you wish it, you are free to go. I will hold no further claim over you. Or if you prefer, things can remain as they are, although I have to remind you that you will not be able to have any relationship other than with me.'

Sophie took a large gulp of her brandy and almost choked as the burning liquid made its way down her throat. She knew the quickest thing would be to give in and get it over and done with. But when she did do it she would be giving up her virginity, and she didn't want to give that away just for the sake of having to do it. She just wasn't ready. The fact that it would be Professor Snape taking it was bad enough. She had no boyfriend and was not looking for one for the foreseeable future, so maybe it would be better to wait. Perhaps time would make the Potions Master seem more attractive to her . . . although she suspected not.

She could see him looking at her as she considered the situation. Eventually she replied, 'I think I would prefer to wait, sir.'

Snape nodded his assent, his emotionless face masking his surprise. 'Please, call me Severus,' he reminded her. 'There is no point in formality under the circumstances.' He stared at her intently for a minute as if gauging something. 'So we are agreed that I will not make any overtures towards you unless you request it; and should you do so you will be released from the bond immediately afterwards, with no argument from me. Please be reassured, Sophie, that this will not change on any whim of mine; the fact that we are agreeing to this makes the choices I offer completely and legally binding. You are free to change your mind at any time should you decide you wish to end the bond.'

'Thank you, Severus,' Sophie said gratefully, feeling massively relieved that she wasn't going to have to sleep with the teacher that night.

Snape caught her look of relief and looked away briefly, trying not to feel hurt at the knowledge that she so obviously didn't want to do with him what she would eventually have to. There was no way he could stop it from happening. Sophie started to undo the necklace, meaning to return the jewellery to him, but he stopped her.

'No, please keep it,' he said, his warm voice sounding a touch wistful. 'They were my mother's and I have kept them in my vault for many years waiting for someone to give them to. They deserve to be worn and they look good on you.' He smiled at Sophie. 'There are plenty more where they came from — I can probably cater for any occasion.'

Sophie smiled back at him and let the clasp fall. The jewellery really was very beautiful and it seemed a shame for it to be locked away, especially when it went so well with her dress.

'Although we will not be conducting an intimate relationship, I do intend to spend time with you, as we are a couple to all intents and purposes. Therefore I will expect you to spend your evenings here after you have finished your Prefect duties. This will serve the dual purpose of keeping you away from the temptation of a relationship elsewhere and also giving us a chance to get to know each other better.'

Sophie wasn't keen on this idea but knew she didn't have a choice. She now belonged to Professor Snape, whether she liked it or not, and so would have to live by his rules. If she tried to challenge this he might well change his mind about allowing her to make the decisions in their relationship and force her into having sex with him, with no guarantee that he would release her afterwards. Feeling unhappy still but also somewhat resigned to her fate, Sophie nodded her assent, and she saw the Potions Master relax a little as he released her hand.

By now the alcohol was making her feel rather tired. She tried to stifle a yawn, not wanting Professor Snape to see it. But of course his eagle eyes spotted it immediately and he sent her to bed, apologising for keeping her up so late.

After Sophie left, Snape sat in a chair by the fire drinking another glass of brandy. He closed his eyes and thought back over the evening. He thought it had gone quite well under the circumstances. The meal was nice, he had eventually managed to get Sophie to accept his gift, she looked beautiful, and he was sure he had managed to explain the situation to her sufficiently well that she had been able to make a rational decision. Although he was aware the young woman had no desire to make love with him, he was slightly surprised that she hadn't decided to get it out of the way and gain her freedom immediately; although he was aware that he was unlikely to be anyone's first choice of sexual partner, especially someone as young as Sophie. A few minutes later a head appeared in the fireplace; it was Albus Dumbledore, wanting to talk. Snape invited him in and poured him a glass of brandy. Dumbledore settled down in the chair opposite Snape and looked at him appraisingly.

'So how did the evening go, Severus?' His voice was light yet questioning.

Snape looked at him and raised an eyebrow. 'You're here, so I'm sure you know how it went.'

Dumbledore laughed. 'I meant the meal. I have no idea how that went.'

Snape proceeded to tell his friend about the meal and the gift he had given Sophie. Albus nodded approvingly.

'I take it Sophie chose to wait rather than get out of the relationship immediately?' Dumbledore's eyes were sparkling.

'That was the agreement,' Snape said. 'However, I did tell her she could change her mind at any time.'

'And what if you change your mind?' Dumbledore asked seriously.

Snape stared at the Headmaster for a moment as if assessing the question. Finally he responded stiffly, 'I will not take advantage of Sophie. Nothing will happen unless she requests it.'

He turned to stare moodily into the fire, making it clear that he didn't want to talk about it further.

'I didn't mean to upset you, old friend,' Dumbledore said quietly, trying to soothe Snape's ruffled feathers. 'I just wanted you to be aware that there is that possibility.'

'No, there won't be that possibility,' Snape said gruffly, determined that this would be the case. He had no intention of taking advantage of Sophie, whatever happened in the future.

The two men sat talking quietly for a while longer before Dumbledore finally said goodnight, leaving Snape to go on his usual rounds of the corridors.


	2. Chapter 2

The following evening was the first of many nights that Sophie spent in the company of Professor Snape. The time they spent together did indeed allow them to get to know each other better, and she had to admit she found him knowledgeable and interesting to talk to. At first she was a little surprised that he at no time ever tried to take advantage of her, and after the discussion about it on her birthday he had never mentioned the bond or its terms again.

He was a harsh taskmaster, though, as she soon discovered. On the first evening of their new relationship she arrived at his study after finishing her Prefect duties, as requested. He invited her in and asked where her homework was. Sophie stared at him with surprise. When she had considered what he might want to spend the evening doing with her, she certainly hadn't expected it to be homework. However, Snape made it clear that every evening before they did anything else Sophie would be expected to complete her homework, sitting at his desk in the corner of the lounge. The Potions Master sat in a chair by the fire marking essays or reading Potions journals as she worked.

This was actually rather useful on some occasions when she had a problem, as amazingly it turned out that Professor Snape was always more than happy to give her a hand if she asked for it. She discovered this with her Arithmancy homework a couple of weeks into the relationship. She had just spent twenty minutes trying to come to grips with what she was supposed to do and still didn't really understand it. Sighing with despair, she threw down her quill and was debating pretending that she had finished when Snape came over to talk to her.

'What's wrong?' His rich, dark voice was pleasant.

'Nothing,' Sophie answered, although she sounded extremely fed up.

'Have you finished your homework yet?'

Sophie was about to say yes but saw Snape looking keenly at her. Somehow she just knew that he would know she was lying, and she didn't want to think about what he would do if he caught her out. So instead she shook her head despondently and sighed.

'No. I can't do this Arithmancy homework.'

'Why not?' Snape was interested now.

Sophie sighed again. Unhappily she admitted, 'I just don't understand it. I've spent twenty minutes trying to work out what I'm supposed to be doing, and to be honest I still haven't got a clue. I think I must have missed something when I was taking down the study notes.'

Snape pulled a chair round to sit next to Sophie at the desk and began to read through her notes. After a few minutes' perusal he explained to her what needed to be done and even helped her with her calculations. Sophie discovered that his explanations helped her to finally understand the difficult subject, much to her surprise and extreme gratitude. It wasn't long before her homework was finished and she was allowed to relax. Snape poured her a glass of wine as a reward for completing the difficult assignment, and they moved to chairs by the fire where a game of wizard chess was in progress. Sophie was a novice player but Professor Snape was teaching her and he was excellent at the game. It was only when Sophie thought about it later that she realised how much she was learning during the time she spent with him.

Sophie discovered she actually enjoyed her evenings with Professor Snape much more than she had anticipated and found she especially looked forward to seeing him on days when she hadn't had a class with him. Of course she did miss spending time with her friends in the Gryffindor common room, and she'd had to make loads of excuses to them; the twins especially were pestering her as to where she was going every night.

However, one evening she was in an argumentative mood. When she arrived at Snape's quarters she was feeling fed up because everyone was getting ready for a party in the Gryffindor common room, and of course instead of spending her time with her friends and having fun she was going to have to spend yet another evening with Professor Snape. Feeling extraordinarily hard done by, she bad-temperedly settled down to do her homework, completely refusing to speak to the Potions Master.

It hadn't taken Snape long to realise that something was wrong, but he gave her a chance to stew while she completed her homework. Once it was clear that she had finished he looked at her intently.

'What's the matter, Sophie?' His dark voice was it's usual soothing tone.

'Nothing's the matter,' she snapped truculently.

Snape sighed and moved closer to her. 'If you don't tell me about it, I can't help you,' he said reasonably.

'I said there's nothing wrong.' Sophie snapped, feeling irritable and determined to be a martyr. She didn't want Professor Snape helping her. She stood at the table piling her schoolwork roughly into her bag.

'Sophie.' Snape was exasperated now. 'Just tell me what's wrong.'

Sophie turned to stare at him, sudden hatred for the teacher and the relationship she was stuck in raging through her entire body.

'Fine!' she shouted in his face. 'You want to know what's wrong? Okay, I'll tell you. I'm fed up with being locked away down here night after night, doing homework and talking to you. I have to lie to my friends about where I am all the time, I never get to spend any time with them any longer, and then when there's something going on like a House party in the common room I have to miss out on it because I have to be down here with you.' There were tears in her eyes now.

Snape looked at her in astonishment. Then he pulled her to him and gave her a big hug as she unexpectedly burst into tears. Within moments she was sobbing on his shoulder as he gently stroked her back, trying desperately to calm her, although it wasn't something he had much experience with. When she had calmed sufficiently enough for him to let go he looked at her intently.

'Why didn't you tell me there was a party tonight? I would have let you go if you had asked.' His voice was smooth and soothing. He frowned. 'Are you really having a problem with your friends? You should have mentioned it to me before.'

Sophie shook her head, her anger having dissipated somewhat after the outburst. 'I'm sorry,' she managed. 'I shouldn't have taken my bad mood out on you.' She smiled weakly at Snape as she brushed away the final tears. 'I have been asked a few questions about where I go every evening, but to be honest most people haven't really noticed as I used to spend a lot of time in clubs or working in the Library anyway.'

Snape ran his hand gently down her cheek. 'Go to the party,' he said softly. 'I'll see you tomorrow evening.'

'No, it's fine,' Sophie replied, now feeling guilty at having shouted at Professor Snape. He hadn't given her any trouble since she had been bonded to him, and she was repaying him by acting like a spoiled and selfish child over a silly party.

Snape took hold of both her hands and looked deep into her eyes. 'Please go to the party, Sophie. It will give you a chance to relax and you'll feel better tomorrow. We can continue our chess game then.' His voice was soothing and that beautiful smile was back.

Sophie, realising he was serious about allowing her to leave, brightened considerably. She hugged him tightly and gave him a brief kiss on the cheek before turning to pick up her bag.

'Thank you, Severus,' she said sincerely, a bright smile now on her face, then headed for the door.

Snape watched her go, then poured himself a Firewhisky and sat looking at the chess set. He had been astonished by Sophie's outburst but rapidly realised that he had been unreasonable in making her spend all her free time with him. Of course she had friends, and it was unfair of him to deprive her of their company just because he enjoyed spending time with her. Which was the reason he had let her go to the party. And the change was amazing — she had reverted to the happy, pretty young woman he was far more used to dealing with. More amazing was the hug and kiss she had given him before she left. There was no artifice to that; she had genuinely kissed him. He wondered if she even realised she had done it. He took another sip of the Firewhisky and contemplated the chess set further.

* * *

><p>Sophie ran as quickly as possible back to Gryffindor Tower, determined to join in with the party. Her friends were overjoyed to see her and she was soon drinking Butterbeer with Steph, the twins and Lee. As the evening went on she found herself alone with Fred, and his attentions were becoming a little more intimate than she was used to. Whilst she had always got on well with the twin she had never really considered him as boyfriend material before. He and George were generally inseparable, and for the last couple of years Fred had been in an on again-off again relationship with Angelina Johnson, so they had never spent much time alone together before.<p>

However, now they were in the corner of the common room and he kept insisting on kissing her. As his hands moved over her body she felt herself becoming aroused by him and had to concentrate hard to stop herself from succumbing to his touch and those blazing kisses. Fred whispered in Sophie's ear between kisses, telling her how beautiful she was and how much he fancied her. His kisses were amazing: powerful and sweet, making her feel hot and flushed. As his hands brushed gently over her jumper-clad breasts she could feel her nipples stiffening and a sudden warmth began to spread through her lower regions. Fred's mouth was on her neck now, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from moaning out loud with desire.

Suddenly, without warning, Professor Snape's face popped into her mind and she froze. Fred, realising Sophie was no longer responding to his touch but not sure why, pulled away from her, worried that he had done something to upset her. Sophie rapidly and sincerely assured him that it had nothing to do him and apologised profusely, saying she had just remembered something she had to do urgently. Now feeling extremely embarrassed and upset at what had happened between Fred and her, and desperate to get away, she left her friends behind and rushed off to her room.

Sophie threw herself onto the bed and tried to work out her feelings. She was severely embarrassed because she had just upset Fred. She was upset for the same reason, but also because she knew that what she had done was wrong. She belonged to Professor Snape now, and she knew that meant that she couldn't fool around with anyone else, at least not until he freed her from his bond. But of course to do that meant sleeping with him.

She really liked Fred and had very much enjoyed kissing him, but even if she weren't bonded to Professor Snape it would be a while before she went any further with him than the small intimacies they had just shared. She slowly undressed and went to the bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth before climbing into bed. As she fell asleep her mind played back her encounter with Fred, feeling his hot lips on hers, his fingers brushing at her hard nipples through her jumper; and then she saw herself hugging Professor Snape and kissing him on the cheek, breathing in his now-familiar scent of sandalwood and herbs.

Suddenly she was wide awake again. Sophie hadn't noticed she had kissed the Potions Master at the time nor had she consciously discerned his smell before, but now she thought about it, it was always there, comforting and pleasant. Gods, had she really kissed him? As she replayed the evening in her mind she realised she had; she also began to understand how unfair she had been to him. Ever since the bond had come into force all the Potions Master had ever done was try to accommodate her wishes and help her to grow as a person, and she had repaid him by being selfish — and worse still, getting off with Fred, which she knew she wasn't allowed to do. Eventually, still feeling guilty, she fell into a somewhat restless sleep, punctuated by dreams in which she was being pulled like a tug-of-war rope by Professor Snape and Fred. Every time she was pulled in one direction she looked longingly in the other. She tossed and turned in bed all night, driven on by her dreams.

* * *

><p>The following morning at breakfast Sophie looked tired; her troubled night had caught up with her. Steph, thinking it was because of what had happened at the party, told her not to worry about Fred. She was convinced he would understand, and sure enough, when they reached the Gryffindor table he was soon at Sophie's side wanting to talk to her. They both apologised for the night before, not wanting to let it ruin their friendship, and were soon chatting amiably as if nothing had happened. Sophie was so busy chatting to Fred that she didn't look at the head table once, but Snape looked at her several times, his scowl deepening as each time he saw her still deep in conversation with one of the Weasley twins. When they got up and left the room together his temper flared, although he wasn't entirely sure why, and he left the table in a bad mood.<p>

Sophie spent most of the day with Fred and George as they were in many of the same N.E.W.T. classes. Fred had told her about a defence club that Harry Potter was running and invited her to go along after classes finished that afternoon. She immediately agreed as she was convinced that the methods of the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge, were teaching them nothing about actually defending themselves in the war she was sure was coming, and she believed Dumbledore and Harry when they said that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back. Steph had joined her friends for lunch and soon she, too, was persuaded to join them in the new club.

Snape's mood did not improve after a class with the first years, which contained a student almost as bad as Neville Longbottom, and took a further dip when he saw Sophie still in the company of Fred Weasley at the lunch table. Once again she appeared to be so deep in discussion with the redhead that she never looked at the head table once as she would normally have done, but his eyes were on her regularly throughout the entire meal. He couldn't work out why he was so disturbed by her friendship with the Weasley twin. After all, she couldn't take things any further with the boy — she was still bonded to him; he had made that clear enough. There was no reason for her not to have friends, and he was aware that the twins had been friends of hers for many years now. But somehow things seemed different today. He was going to have to discuss it with her tonight. First, however, he had an inspection by that insufferable woman Dolores Umbridge to get through.

* * *

><p>After the end of lessons Sophie followed her friends to the seventh floor, where they entered the Room of Requirement. She was amazed to see how many people were in the club and from all Houses, except for Slytherin of course. She and Steph had quickly agreed to sign the parchment promising to keep the club secret and were soon joining with the others in practicing spells. This was how Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons ought to be taught, she thought; although she did wonder briefly whether Professor Umbridge knew about the club. After all, she had recently put out one of those blasted decrees banning all clubs. Was their club, now known as Dumbledore's Army, or the D.A. for short, the reason why?<p>

She knew that the Inquisitorial Squad were bound to be around somewhere keeping an eye out for supposed wrongdoers. Funny how that was all made up of Slytherins. No one else would have been mean enough to join, but prats like that little ferret Draco Malfoy and his gang seemed to take delight in being members. She remembered with a start that Professor Snape was the Head of Slytherin House. Well, of course she had always thought him mean and nasty until she had got to know him better. Now she knew he was just an intensely private man who had . . . issues. Perhaps she needed to try and find out more about him, get him to talk about himself for a change. After all, she had never bothered to take any time to get to know him more personally.

When the lesson finished they made their way in small groups back to their common rooms and from there down to dinner. Sophie was elated at having done something that would completely infuriate that old cow Umbridge if she knew about it. As she got ready for dinner she thought again about Professor Snape. She suspected he wouldn't be pleased if he knew about her being a member of the D.A., so she would have to keep it from him.

* * *

><p>When Sophie finally made her way to Snape's study after she had finished her Prefect duties that evening she found him in a foul mood. She tried to get him to tell her what was wrong in hopes that it would help to calm him down, but he was still angry with her for spending all her free time with the Weasley twins and was feeling unreasonable. He curtly told her to get on with her homework, then grabbed a pile of essays himself and started marking, almost ripping the parchment as he scrawled viciously across the badly-written compositions.<p>

Snape was desperately trying to get himself under control. That bloody woman, Umbridge, had invaded his lesson and done her best to really annoy him, trying to make him look stupid in front of Potter and his little gang. Additionally, Sophie's obvious friendship with Fred Weasley made him feel like reminding her who she was supposed to be in a relationship with. For a moment the thought crossed his mind that he would show her who was boss by forcing her to sleep with him, but then he remembered Albus' comment from the first evening and realised this was exactly the sort of situation he had been talking about. Strangely, despite everything Snape had tried to do to stop it from happening, he had somehow become attached to Sophie and was feeling jealous at her friendship with the Weasley twin. As he continued to mark essays he slowly managed to calm himself down until eventually he felt he could talk to her without losing his temper or his self-control.

He put down the remaining parchments and headed over to the desk where Sophie was sitting reading a book. She had actually finished her homework some time before but didn't dare mention it to Professor Snape in case he had a go at her again.

'Sophie, I apologise for snapping at you earlier,' he said, his dark voice sounding contrite.

Sophie looked at him with a small smile. 'It gets me back for yesterday, I suppose. We all get bad moods sometimes, Severus.' She frowned worriedly. 'Did you have a really bad day?'

'I was unfortunate enough to have an inspection by the High Inquisitor this afternoon . . . during my fifth year Slytherin and Gryffindor class.' Snape's voice dripped with venom.

Sophie winced. That was Harry Potter's class. She already knew the problems Professor Snape and the boy had with each other; that was well known throughout the whole of Gryffindor House and probably the entire school. Poor Neville Longbottom was in that class, too. He was the Potions Master's next-least favourite student by several miles after the unfortunate Boggart incident back when Professor Lupin was the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and she was aware that the vindictive Snape spent every possible moment terrifying the sensitive boy. Having heard about Professor Umbridge's inspections, she knew the woman would have done everything in her power to embarrass Professor Snape in front of his most hated students. A wave of sympathy for the poor man swept through her and she quickly stood and gave him a hug. Initially he was stiff and unresponsive, but after a few moments he began to relax and his arms moved to hold her in exchange, and for a time the two of them stood embracing, not saying anything.

Eventually Snape moved away from Sophie and asked if she wanted a drink as he made his way to the cabinet. She tentatively asked for a glass of wine and he poured her one, getting a glass of cognac for himself at the same time. She sat on the sofa and he joined her there, passing her the glass.

'So did you enjoy the party last night?' he asked, his voice and face carefully neutral. 'You seemed a bit tired this morning.'

'Yes, it was good, although we did have a bit of a late night. I don't think it got too out of hand, though.'

'I see that you've been spending a lot of time with Fred Weasley recently.' It was said casually, as if it was just a throwaway line, but Sophie knew it was anything but.

'Fred and I have been friends for years,' she told him, feeling she had to justify herself before Professor Snape got the wrong idea. 'I've always got on well with the twins and I guess they've missed me since I've been spending my evenings down here. It was mainly them questioning where I go every night.'

'So what is there between the two of you?' Snape looked at Sophie seriously, his face and voice neutral and showing no sign of the annoyance he was still trying to keep contained.

'There's nothing between us, Severus. We're just friends,' she said hurriedly.

Sophie felt a pang of guilt flash through her as she remembered Fred's kisses from the previous night. But she knew she was telling the truth. Whatever she may have wanted — and if she was honest she wasn't sure what she wanted — she was bonded to Professor Snape. And however well she was getting on with him now, she still wasn't ready or willing to do the one thing that would ensure her freedom from him.

'I got the impression that it was slightly more than that,' Snape said softly.

Sophie took a sip of her wine, then put the glass down on the coffee table. 'How could it be anything more? I'm yours, remember?' She was pleased that she managed to keep her tone pleasant and light rather than accusatory.

'I told you before that you can change your mind at any time,' Snape reminded her.

'Is that what you want?' she asked accusingly, suddenly riled although she wasn't sure why. 'You want to sleep with me now, but you want me to initiate it?'

'Not at all.' Snape's heart beat slightly faster as he remembered his thoughts of earlier in the evening. 'I just meant that if you wanted more to your relationship with Mr Weasley—' He broke off.

'I told you, Severus, there's nothing between me and Fred. We're just friends.' Sophie's raised voice was beginning to sound upset.

'I'm sorry, Sophie,' Snape said sincerely and he pulled her into his arms, giving her a tight hug to soothe her. 'I didn't mean to upset you.'

She relaxed into Snape's embrace, deeply breathing in his scent. She definitely loved the smell of him and it helped to calm her.

'There really isn't anything going on,' she reiterated quietly. Then she admitted, 'He did kiss me last night, but I knew I couldn't let things go any further so I went to bed.' She didn't mention her strange dreams which had given her such a restless night and had accounted for her looking so tired that morning.

'I don't want to stop you from having a relationship with someone, Sophie,' Snape said. 'But you know I can't just release you from the bond. We've already discussed this and I'm sure you understand the situation.'

'I know that. But I promise you I don't want a relationship with Fred.' Sophie felt a little tug in her heart as she said that but she knew that it was true, really. Although she enjoyed Fred's company she just couldn't see him as her boyfriend.

Snape felt much better after having talked to Sophie. Whilst he was sure she liked the Weasley twin better than she admitted, she obviously wasn't in a rush to end their relationship and he had to admit he was rather glad. He had grown used to her company and enjoyed it very much, and he knew he would be disappointed if he no longer got to spend any time with her. He was surprised and rather gladdened that she had admitted to him about the kisses she had shared with the boy, too. That told him that she wasn't scared of him and felt she could talk to him, which was certainly better than he would have hoped for at the beginning of their relationship. He was also enjoying the feel of her in his arms and was aware that this, too, could never have happened a few weeks before. As he held her he could smell her perfume, something deep and oriental, and her hair smelt faintly of oranges, obviously her shampoo.

'Do you want to continue our chess game?' he asked.

'I'm happy to play if you want to,' Sophie answered, although she didn't seem particularly eager.

She realised that she was actually quite happy where she was, still wrapped in Professor Snape's arms, but wondered whether he wanted to get away from her now that he knew she still wasn't interested in going to bed with him. She was sure she was disappointing him by not being willing, but she wasn't ready to commit to that.

Snape looked at her and decided he was quite happy where he was. 'I'm not sure I feel like playing tonight,' he admitted. 'I'd much rather just sit here and talk if you're happy to.'

He released her long enough to pick up his glass and pass Sophie hers. They spent the rest of the evening talking on the sofa, Sophie having gradually moved over so Snape's arms gently enfolded her once more. Eventually she was falling asleep and her head, which had been resting on his shoulder, nodded forward. Gently, he woke her and sent her off to bed with a chaste kiss on her forehead.

* * *

><p>Sophie's days were spent with Steph, the twins and Lee, and her evenings were spent with Severus. When she was with her friends she was either attending lessons, taking part in the D.A., or watching Quidditch; when she was with Severus she was still doing homework and playing chess. She was now also helping him make some of the standard potions the Hospital Wing needed in steady supply, and grading the first and second years' essays for him. And now, it seemed, they always ended the evening curled up together on the sofa, sharing a pot of tea or occasionally something stronger.<p>

Snape had been quick to comfort her when she entered his quarters in tears of anger and frustration after the evil witch, Professor Umbridge, banned the twins and Harry from ever playing Quidditch again, and he discovered that for the first time in his life he actually felt some sympathy for the Gryffindors. Although he disliked Potter, he detested Dolores Umbridge far more and knew that she was treating the boy and his friends unfairly because of Fudge's fear that Potter was telling the truth about the Dark Lord being back. He wished there was something he could do about it, even just to stop Minerva's understandable moaning, but unfortunately his hands were tied.

Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad was almost exclusively made up of members of his own House, something about which Snape wasn't best pleased but could do nothing to stop without revealing too much about where his loyalties lay. All he could do was keep an eye on them and hope that Draco and his cronies didn't cause too much trouble for the rest of the school. The rumour of an illegal meeting of students led, of course, by Potter was currently rife in the staff room and it appeared that Umbridge and her squad, with the help of Filch, were closing in on them. Snape knew that if Potter was involved, the Weasleys would also be involved; and by extension it was likely that Sophie was probably part of the group, too. He was obviously keen to ensure she didn't end up in trouble, so when she came to visit that night he decided to ask her about it.

As they sat on the sofa Snape said casually, 'There's been a lot of talk recently in the staff room about a group of students getting together illegally. Of course what they're doing is anyone's guess.' He looked at Sophie. 'Do you know anything about that?'

Sophie instantly panicked. She didn't want to lie to Severus but at the same time she wasn't going to drop her friends in it by admitting what she knew. Her heart fluttered as she tried to decide how to respond.

'No need to answer,' Snape said, his voice gentle. He knew from the look on Sophie's face that his guess was correct. 'I'm fairly certain Potter and the Weasleys are involved, so no doubt you are, too.' Sophie just stared at him, her face paling. 'Sophie, I just want to warn you that Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad know about you and are trying to track down where you all meet up, so please be careful. You know what she's like — she's determined to stamp out anything she sees as dissention, especially when Potter is involved.' He was holding her hands now, stroking them as he spoke.

Sophie nodded, not wanting or able to say anything. Snape smiled at her. 'Don't worry, I won't mention it to anyone else,' he said, his dark voice smooth and calming as always. 'But what are you doing?'

Sophie considered what to say, wondering whether admitting what they were doing would be considered snitching on the group. She decided it wouldn't as Severus already knew about them and who some of the members were, and she trusted him not to say anything, especially to Professor Umbridge.

'We're learning Defence Against the Dark Arts. We're not learning how to defend ourselves with Professor Umbridge — how can we when we only get to read about defensive magic — so we thought we'd learn on our own.' Then, looking proud, she added, 'Actually we're all doing quite well. You won't say anything, though, will you, Severus?'

Snape shook his head, privately satisfied that Sophie and her friends were taking the initiative to learn how to defend themselves. He was quite certain it wouldn't be too long before it was needed, unfortunately, especially if Albus' plans played out the way he expected them to. The better protected the students were, the more chance they would have of fighting off the Dark Lord and his followers when the time came. He didn't ask anything further about it, not wanting to put either himself or Sophie in jeopardy if Umbridge came calling.

Sophie was pleased that Severus hadn't grilled her on the group. She didn't really want to reveal any more than she already had; she felt that to do so would make her some sort of traitor, although she was also certain that Severus would keep his word and not pass on the information he had learned.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: _As I said at the beginning this is a short and sweet story, no deep plot, just romance and festive cheer._ _Happy New Year everyone, and thank you for reading. Dx _

* * *

><p>Christmas was fast approaching, and Sophie couldn't decide what to do for the holidays. In previous years she had always gone home to be with her parents but this year she really didn't want to see them. She was still feeling angry with them, her father especially, for not giving her more warning about her bonding to Severus, and she wasn't sure spending a few weeks at home with them was a good idea. Also, she had to admit that part of her didn't look forward to leaving Severus behind. She had become so used to seeing him every evening that she could no longer imagine not being with him.<p>

At first it wasn't a problem. The Weasleys were spending Christmas at the school as usual, so she knew that at least she would be with friends. But then something awful happened. Their father, Arthur Weasley, was attacked at the Ministry of Magic and almost died. He ended up in St Mungo's Hospital and so of course the family and Harry Potter all went to be with him. Steph and Lee were both going home, too — in fact as far as Sophie was aware no one from the seventh year was staying apart from her — and she didn't really know many people outside her year, so she wasn't sure what sort of Christmas she would have on her own.

Obviously this was something Snape had considered, too. When they were relaxing after her homework one evening he asked, 'Have you decided yet what you're going to do about the Christmas holidays?'

'I thought I might stay at school,' Sophie admitted as she looked at the Potions Master, trying to gauge his reaction.

Snape nodded. 'I did wonder whether you might not want to go home . . . knowing that things aren't great at the moment between you and your father.' His dark voice was soothing, knowing he was touching on a tricky subject which they hadn't discussed since the evening of Sophie's birthday.

'I might be a bit lonely, though.' Her voice was quiet as if she was embarrassed to admit what she was saying. 'With the Weasleys not staying at school, I mean. Although of course I understand completely their need to be with their dad. I just don't really know any of the other people who are staying that well, as there's no one from my year.'

'Well, there aren't normally that many people who stay; last year was an exception because of the Triwizard Tournament. Usually there's only a handful of students so we all tend to dine at one table. The Headmaster loves it and makes everyone join in with the festivities.' Snape scowled for a moment as he thought about it. 'I'm sure you can sit next to me during meals if you can't find anyone better to talk to.' The scowl disappeared to be replaced with a grin, and Sophie smiled back at him. 'Obviously whatever you want to do the rest of the time is up to you, but I would be delighted to have the pleasure of your company whenever you wish it.'

Sophie hugged him tightly, as usual taking in his delicious smell, as she felt him gently stroking her hair.

'Have you spoken to your father at all?' Snape asked quietly, wondering whether he was right to broach the subject again and hoping he wouldn't upset Sophie by doing so.

'No!' The word was almost spat out. Still sounding angry, Sophie continued, 'He's made no effort to contact me since that letter he so kindly sent me the day before my birthday. Why should I contact him?'

'But what about your mother?' Snape queried.

'She hasn't contacted me either. I assume they've realised I'm not very happy with them. I don't see why I should chase after them when they didn't even have the decency to give me some warning about the bonding. It's not as if they didn't know it was coming. They had seventeen years to tell me.' Sophie's cheeks were flushed with anger.

Snape was concerned to hear that there had been no further discussion between Sophie and her family on what had happened to her. Surely they hadn't abandoned her completely to her fate, had they? He could feel her stiff within his arms, her anger making her tense, and continued to stroke her hair and trail his fingers down her back in an effort to soothe and calm her.

'Do you think they'll mind you not going home for Christmas?' he asked.

'Probably not. I'm sure they'll expect you to keep me here as I belong to you now.' Sophie tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Strangely she wasn't angry with Severus at all, just with her parents.

'Good,' Snape said honestly. 'In that case I insist you stay here with me for the holiday.'

Sophie looked at him, affronted, and couldn't help wondering whether something was about to change with their relationship. Apart from making her spend her evenings with him — and after the Fred incident Sophie completely understood why he had been so insistent — Severus had never made her do anything. He was always quite relaxed and was generally guided by her desires. But as she stared at him he smiled, showing that he was joking, and she relaxed a little, although part of her was glad that he wanted her to stay.

'Time for you go,' Snape told her after looking at his watch. 'I have hall duty tonight, and it's almost curfew anyway.' He kissed her, as usual, on the forehead, then followed Sophie out the door.

'Can you find out how Mr Weasley is for me, please?' she asked anxiously as they walked down the corridor towards the stairs.

'I'll see what I can do,' Snape promised. 'I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well.'

* * *

><p>Christmas was, as Severus had said, a quiet affair with only a handful of students staying at the school. It seemed everyone was eager to get away from Professor Umbridge and her stupid rules that were taking over Hogwarts, so anyone who could get out had done so. When she woke on Christmas morning Sophie was surprised to find a large, brightly decorated stocking at the foot of her bed. She hadn't had one of those since she was a child.<p>

Staying in bed, Sophie slowly opened the presents in the stocking, laughing when she found the traditional nuts and a satsuma. However, she didn't laugh when she saw some of the gifts that had been placed in there. Whoever her Santa was, he knew her very well and had somehow managed to give her things that she not only needed but wanted. Of course she had a shrewd idea of who Santa was, but what she couldn't work out was how he had got the stocking to her. After all, he wasn't allowed into the girls' dormitories, at least not when they were in use; and surely, as a Slytherin Professor McGonagall wouldn't allow him into the Gryffindor common room, although she suspected her Head of House wasn't aware of her relationship with the Potions Master and Severus probably wanted to keep it that way. However he had managed it, the gifts — sweets, quills and ink, parchments, books, and some lovely pieces of jewellery — put a big smile on her face and made her feel much happier about being stuck at Hogwarts for Christmas.

She slowly bathed, enrobed herself in her favourite scent, and dressed, taking care to look her best as it was a celebration day. As she headed down to the common room she saw a pile of presents under the Christmas tree and headed over to check them out, knowing there were only a couple of other people in Gryffindor staying. A large box from the twins contained the usual assortment of goodies from their joke collection. Separate was a gift from Fred, a beautiful scarf and gloves set which she got a little tearful over when she opened it. Steph had bought her a bolero cardigan to go with the dress she had given her for her birthday, and Lee had bought her some earrings. There was nothing from her parents. Her heart sank a little at this but she shrugged it off and went downstairs to the Great Hall to get some breakfast.

Snape was there already, reading the newspaper as he ate. He looked up as she entered the room and gestured for her to come and sit next to him.

'Merry Christmas, Professor Snape,' she said, smiling at him.

'Merry Christmas, Miss Carter.' His reply was stilted as if he had trouble saying it.

'I take it you're not very keen on Christmas, then, sir?' Sophie enquired laughingly. 'More of a Bah Humbug?'

'Actually I rather enjoy Christmas,' Snape said smoothly. 'It gives me a break from most of the dunderheads I have to teach all year.'

Sophie laughed. 'Well, I'm afraid you're stuck with me this year, sir,' she said with a wink. 'By the way, thank you for the stocking. It was wonderful,' she added quietly.

'I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about,' Snape said blandly, but that secret smile was appearing again and she knew he was kidding with her.

They spent the rest of breakfast pleasantly enough. Snape asked Sophie what presents she had received and she told him. He looked a little concerned when she admitted her parents hadn't sent her anything but she shrugged it off, saying she wasn't bothered. She asked him about his presents and he told her about the couple of items he had received. Sophie felt bad that he had received so little and a little guilty that she had only bought him a token gift when he had given her so much, but he assured her that he was perfectly content with his haul, pointing out that he had only received gifts from people he liked and had got exactly what he wanted.

After breakfast they wrapped up warmly and went for a walk around the lake, having a snowball fight of their own before making their way back to the castle for the official before-lunch fight, during which all the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs battled the Slytherins and Ravenclaws, the remaining teachers splitting evenly on each side. The Headmaster was apparently the referee, but the crafty old man attacked everyone who got within range.

Lunch in the seasonally decorated Great Hall was a much more pleasant experience than Sophie had expected. There were only about thirty people, including teachers, and as Severus had said, Sophie got to sit next to him. She had to laugh as she noticed that none of the other students wanted to sit near him but all desperately tried to find places elsewhere. She received several looks of gratitude when she purposely sat down next to him. The best part was that the loathsome Professor Umbridge had fortunately chosen to go elsewhere for the holiday and so the meal was fun, light-hearted and full of cheer.

It wasn't long before Sophie realised that Severus had been accurate in his assessment of the Headmaster's love of Christmas. He celebrated to the full, encouraging everyone around the table to pull crackers and wear the stupid hats that were found within. He had replaced his usual pointy hat with a large pirate one and a matching eye patch and laughed uproariously whenever anyone read out one of the corny jokes from their cracker. Sophie was glad that she got a rather pretty crown in her cracker, although she had to laugh when Severus got a matching crown in his. The Headmaster's eyes sparkled as the Potions Master scowled deeply.

'Put it on, Severus,' the Headmaster roared, laughing, and although Snape looked mutinous he did as he was told.

'Now we really look like a couple — the King and Queen of Hogwarts,' Sophie whispered to him as they waited for their food to arrive. She saw Snape's eyes widen as if panicked by this idea and wondered, for what she realised was the first time, if maybe he was as unhappy about the bonding as she was.

Except that she wasn't really unhappy about it any longer. Having spent so much time getting to know the taciturn teacher, she had got used to being with him. No . . . actually if she was honest she really enjoyed being with him and even liked the physical closeness they shared when they were together on the sofa. She always felt comforted and safe when he had his arms around her. The idea that he might not be happy about the bonding was a bit of a shock. She had always assumed he wanted her as his lover, but of course hadn't he said that first night that if he could have freed her without consummating the relationship he would have done it?

As she thought about it further she realised that this had to be the case, as neither of the choices he had given her actually involved having a romantic relationship with him. Either she could have the current friendship or she could have the more intimate one and then be set free. Was there no chance for both?

'What's the matter?' Snape whispered, seeing her face fall.

'Nothing.' Sophie concentrated on her food, not wanting to talk just at that moment. Her thoughts about the bonding and the choices she faced were making her a little maudlin.

'Are you thinking about your parents?' he asked warily, assuming this was why Sophie's mood had taken a tumble.

'I'm trying not to,' Sophie admitted.

She was more upset than she wanted to admit that her parents hadn't bothered to send her anything for Christmas or even make an effort to contact her. Even a card would have shown that they still cared about her. However, if they didn't want to know her then so be it; she wasn't going to chase them.

She looked up to see Severus looking at her in concern. She smiled wanly at him to tell him not to worry. As she glanced away she saw the Headmaster looking thoughtfully at the pair of them. That suddenly gave her another thought. Did the Headmaster know about her and Severus? She had never really thought about who else might know about the arrangement, but of course there was no way he would have kept it a secret from the Headmaster, especially if he was as unhappy about it as she now suspected he was.

Dumbledore smiled at her. 'Cheer up, my dear,' he said brightly. 'I'm sure it can't be that bad.'

'I'm fine,' replied Sophie, smiling as brightly as she could manage. The smile soon became a laugh when the Headmaster waved his wand and a sprinkling of rainbow-coloured glitter dust rained down on the table, covering everyone, and Severus, now covered in a particularly large amount, scowled deeply once again.

Once the meal was over, Sophie and Snape slowly made their way back to his quarters to spend a leisurely afternoon playing chess and sleeping off the massive lunch. Sophie's chess skills had progressed considerably under Snape's tutelage and she was now able to provide him with a fairly challenging game. The afternoon went quickly and it was soon time for them to return to the Great Hall for dinner, although neither of them was particularly hungry.

As they walked down the corridor Snape said, 'I'm sorry your parents didn't contact you today, Sophie.' His dark voice was full of sympathy.

'It doesn't matter.' Sophie tried to keep the pain out of her voice.

As the day had gone on, the hope that her parents were for some reason merely delayed in contacting her had ebbed away, leaving only the stark realisation that they wanted nothing to do with her. Had they disowned her now she was with Severus? Did they think she was merely his property so they had given up all interest in her?

Snape knew Sophie was trying hard to be brave and decided he was going to write to her father and give him a piece of his mind. He was still unhappy that the man hadn't informed his daughter of her fate earlier, and it appeared that now she had turned eighteen he was trying to pretend she didn't exist. Sophie didn't deserve to be treated in such a callous fashion. However, for the time being he knew he should drop the subject in case she got more upset. He hated it when she cried; he always felt so helpless.

Sophie saw the look on Severus' face and felt warmth spread through her. He obviously cared about her enough to be annoyed on her behalf, and for some reason that made her feel good.

* * *

><p>Dinner was a far less formal affair, a party of sorts, with a buffet set up on the teachers' table. The Headmaster had even allowed butterbeer to be served. Sophie saw Snape grimace as he took a swig of the drink, and she laughed.<p>

'Why are you drinking it if you don't like it?' she asked him.

'For the same reason you always end up having a lemon drop when you visit Albus' office – because he wants you to have it and suffer,' Snape replied grumpily.

'Give it here,' Sophie said sympathetically and went to swap goblets. 'I've finished mine. I rather like it.'

'I don't want you getting drunk,' Snape said jokingly.

'Oh, I see. You're quite happy for me to drink wine and strong spirits but not to have two glasses of butterbeer,' she countered, smiling at him.

'Hmm, you're right,' he replied laughingly, and swapped goblets.

During the course of the evening Sophie talked to everyone in the room. By the time she left she had agreed to mentor one of the first years, a Hufflepuff boy who was having difficulties with his studies. By the time she got to the Headmaster her glass was empty again and he refilled it, laughing as they noticed Snape watching her.

'Severus told me your parents haven't contacted you or sent you a present,' Dumbledore began, sounding sympathetic. 'I'm very sorry to hear that, Sophie. It is a shame they have decided to abandon you.' His normally twinkly blue eyes looked more grave than usual.

'I'm fine, sir,' Sophie said sincerely. 'Actually, I think Severus is more upset about it than I am. I was annoyed that they didn't bother giving me more warning in the first place, so I didn't really want to see or speak to them anyway.'

'Yes, Severus has rather taken against your father, I think.' Dumbledore looked briefly at Snape again before turning his attention back to Sophie. 'So how are you and our somewhat taciturn Potions Master getting along?' he asked interestedly.

'Actually, rather well.' Sophie smiled and glanced quickly at Snape before returning her gaze to the Headmaster. 'He's a much more interesting and complex man than I had ever realised, although he is a bit dark and brooding. I really do enjoy his company, though.'

'Yes, Severus is rather deep, but he has a lot on his plate. Try not to judge him too harshly, Sophie.'

'I don't, but I do think he judges himself too harshly sometimes. He can be so pleasant, and when he smiles it's a real joy. But he does it so rarely. If only he smiled as much as he scowled, people would realise that he's not such a bad man . . . even if he does hate Gryffindors.'

'I don't think Severus hates you, and you are most certainly a Gryffindor.' Dumbledore smiled. 'And do you not think he uses the scowl as a shield, to prevent people from getting too close?'

'I think you're right,' Sophie agreed wistfully. 'He definitely isn't interested in relationships, that's for sure.'

'What makes you say that?' Dumbledore asked curiously.

'Sir, I assume, as we're talking about it, that you know about the bond between Severus and me?' Sophie looked intently at the Headmaster and he nodded briefly. 'Well, when he gave me the choice of ways in which to conduct our relationship, none of them actually involved having an intimate relationship with him for longer than one night.'

Dumbledore looked at her with interest. 'What choices did he give you?' he asked quietly.

'There were two,' Sophie said a little unhappily. 'Either for us to consummate the bond on that first night, on my birthday, and to then be released of any further commitment to him, or to not consummate, in which case I would be unable to have a relationship with anyone else until consummation takes place. I obviously chose the latter to begin with because I certainly wasn't ready for such intimacy with anyone, let alone Severus—' Sophie broke off for a moment, looking thoughtful.

Dumbledore watched her carefully, not saying anything.

'Recently Fred Weasley and I have become quite close.' She looked again at Dumbledore. 'Although we're not a couple,' she added quickly, not sure who she was trying to reassure. 'When he found out, Severus gave me the opportunity once again to get out of the bond, but I turned him down. The thing is, sir, I enjoy being with Severus . . . .' She trailed off, not quite sure where her thoughts were headed or whether she should be admitting her feelings to the Headmaster.

Dumbledore patted her hand kindly. 'Christmas is a wonderful time, don't you think?' he asked, appearing to change the subject completely. 'Such a magical time. Amazing the strange things that happen over Christmas.' He smiled at Sophie, then excused himself to go and talk to Professor McGonagall.

Sophie moved toward Severus, who was standing on his own near one of the Christmas trees after talking to Professor Flitwick about his decorations. She smiled at him.

'Are you having a really awful time?' she asked worriedly.

'Yes,' Snape's dark voice was blunt. 'I've always hated this part of Christmas Day, and Albus knows it.' He scowled deeply at the Headmaster although he was aware it would have no effect. 'You were having a good chat with him,' he continued casually. 'And I see you're back on the butterbeer again.' His eyebrows rose sardonically.

'Yes, we were talking about my parents,' Sophie said. 'I was just telling him I didn't care if I never spoke to them again.'

'I'm sure that's not true,' Snape said soothingly. 'I know you're angry with them, but once you calm down—'

'At the moment it's true,' Sophie interjected. 'Anyway, I'm having a much better time here with you than I would have done at home. It's just a shame you're not enjoying it, too.' She looked at him playfully and then said, 'Shall we get out of here? If we go back to your rooms you can have a proper drink and not have to force yourself to drink more butterbeer.' She winked at him. 'I'm sure the Headmaster won't miss us, nor will anyone else.'

And so the two of them slowly worked their way to the door of the Great Hall and made good their escape, unnoticed by everyone except the Headmaster, who just smiled his brightest, twinkliest smile ever before turning back to his companions and re-joining the conversation.

* * *

><p>As they walked down the dungeon corridor toward Snape's quarters they came across the Bloody Baron, who was looking his usual fierce self.<p>

'Ah, Severus! A very merry Christmas to you, my fine fellow,' he blustered. 'And to you, too, young Miss,' he continued, giving Sophie a low bow.

'Merry Christmas to you, too, Baron,' Sophie said politely, noticing that Snape growled the sentiment almost under his breath.

'Are the festivities over?' the ghost asked, sounding disappointed. 'I was just heading towards the Great Hall.'

'No, the party is still going strong. We had just had enough and wanted some peace and quiet,' Snape said, his dark, rich voice full of meaning.

The Baron smiled at them. 'Well, I shall go and join the fun. Have a good evening.'

With that he floated away up the corridor.

Sophie continued towards Snape's study but suddenly realised that he wasn't with her. She turned to look at him and saw that he was still in the same place and was scowling deeply.

'What's the matter?' she asked, suddenly worried that she had somehow managed to upset him.

He gestured towards the ceiling. 'Mistletoe,' he said mournfully. 'I can't move. It's trapped me.'

Sophie stared at the look of misery on the Potions Master's face for a moment and suppressed the urge to laugh. She had heard about mistletoe although she had never been fortunate or unlucky enough, depending on which way you looked at it, to be stuck underneath it. A person caught under the mistletoe could only be released by a kiss from an eligible partner. Poor Severus was stuck there until someone kissed him. As she looked at him she knew that Severus saw the mistletoe as a curse. But for her, she suddenly realised, it was a blessing.

Moving forward rapidly, she wrapped her arms around Snape and pressed her lips to his, at first with sweet gentleness and then with more pressure as the kiss deepened. Snape, taken by surprise, was at first too shocked to do anything but succumb to the kiss. However, he soon recovered his equilibrium and snaked his arms around Sophie, pulling her closer to him, and the kiss turned more passionate as they explored each other's mouths. Sophie felt a tingle down her spine as the kiss intensified. It was like nothing she had ever felt before — way more exciting than the kisses she had shared with Fred. Surely it couldn't just be because of the mistletoe, could it? She pressed herself closer to Severus and gave herself completely to the magical kiss.

Finally they pulled apart, and Snape gently caressed her face before once again grabbing her to him, their lips meeting once more. How long they stood there Sophie wasn't sure but by the time they finally parted, now both eager to reach Snape's quarters, her lips were tender from the kissing. As they hurried hand in hand towards Snape's study she suddenly thought of Dumbledore's comment about strange things happening at Christmas and wondered if this had something to do with him.

Upon entering his quarters Snape headed straight for the drinks cabinet to pour proper drinks for both of them. He needed to be away from Sophie for a moment so he could think. When he had found himself trapped under the mistletoe it hadn't occurred to him for one second that Sophie would even consider freeing him. When she kissed him he was completely surprised, and he was even more amazed when the kiss wasn't purely a peck for the sake of freeing him, as it could so easily have been. The final astonishment was that she didn't pull away when he kissed her back, but instead seemed to hunger for more kisses which he was more than happy to provide. What he didn't know was what this meant. She had already told him earlier that she was happier with him than with her parents, but he still wasn't sure where this left them.

What he wanted was to take her in his arms again and kiss her as many times as he could get away with, but if he was honest that wasn't all he wanted. How many times had he enjoyed the feeling of Sophie in his arms, her body pressed against his as they relaxed after a long and busy day, his mind conjuring thoughts that were entirely inappropriate given her view on their bonding? But from the indications he had received so far this evening he thought it possible that he could attempt to take things further with her without fear of being rebuffed. Sophie was a beautiful young woman and his desire to make love to her had never been more pronounced than at this very moment. But maybe, for him, tonight was not the best time to press his suit . . . although he knew that even thinking this was selfish.

He stared at the bottle of cognac in his hand, aware that he was stalling.

In the end it all boiled down to how selfish he was, as was always the case. He had to think rationally to ensure he did what was right, not what was best for him. That Sophie had enjoyed her day more with him wasn't a testament to her desire to be with him but a certainty borne of the fact that she was unhappy with her family for what they had done to her, and surely anything would be better than being with them at the moment. If he and Sophie continued in the way he so wanted, his final Christmas gift to her would be her freedom from him, the breaking of the bond that had caused her so much hurt and disappointment over the last few months. But this was where his selfishness came in. He didn't want to break the bond.

Although initially as opposed to the bond as Sophie had been, Snape had very quickly come to enjoy the time he spent with her, finding a peace and in many ways a life far different to the one he had lived up until that point. Yes, she was young — in truth, too young for him probably — but even in the short time they had been together she had given his life a purpose and he could honestly say that she had made him a better person. He was generally more tolerant now and less inclined to melancholy; she had brightened his life in so many ways, and he didn't want to lose her. But was it fair of him to hold back from giving Sophie the freedom she wanted just because he didn't want to let her go? Of course it wasn't. If she had readied herself for what needed to be done to gain the freedom she so wanted, it wasn't fair of him to withhold that freedom just because he needed her. He poured two measures of the amber liquid then added another large slug to his glass before slowly turning back to Sophie, forcing his no longer quite so happy face into a smile.

Sophie, who was sitting on the couch, wondered why it was taking Severus so long to pour the drinks. Her heart was racing after the wonderful kisses they had shared in the corridor and she was hoping they would continue now that they were somewhere less public. But instead he dashed away to get drinks, seeming eager to be away from her, and didn't return. She glanced at his back, smiling tenderly as she thought of how pathetic he had looked trapped under the mistletoe. It revealed his more vulnerable side, his warmer and more caring side that he rarely showed to anyone, not even her, and it made her want him even more.

But that left her with the same problem she had discussed with the Headmaster; just the thought of it made her want to cry. Against all odds, what her parents had done to her had opened her up to the potentially most wonderful relationship of her life — but she wasn't going to be allowed to have it. Severus had been quite clear about his choices, made, she could now see, because he wanted the bond as little as she originally had, and neither one of those choices was going to make her happy. She now longed for a more intimate relationship with him but couldn't have it because she couldn't face the idea of not being with him any more. However good that one night of passion might be, it could never make up for spending the rest of her life separated from the man she had slowly come to realise she was falling in love with.

Once she realised how her feelings towards Severus had changed Sophie had begun to hope that a third way might present itself; that Severus could be persuaded to give her the physicality she now desired but would keep the bond intact afterwards. But any gentle attempts by her to move the conversation in that general direction over the previous week or so had ended with Severus bad-temperedly announcing that the terms were quite clear and set in magic, as if he believed she was trying to trick him into freeing her. She had been disappointed at the time, but now realised his anger was because he didn't want anything more with her than he had already agreed to and wasn't willing to discuss it further. Sophie had tried to remain hopeful that eventually Severus would realise he wanted her as a lover, and hopefully sooner rather than later, but after her epiphany today she wasn't so sure it would ever happen.

Then that perfect opportunity to kiss him had arisen, but just when things seemed to be going so well he had retreated from her again — although that was probably a good thing under the circumstances. Her desire for Severus was now so great that had he decided to move things on she would have gone with it, caught up as she was in the moment and the romance of the kissing, and in doing so she would have lost everything. At least now she could be more circumspect about it, and despite what she wanted deep down in her heart she could at least retain the friendship that she cherished more than anything else in her life.

Sophie was just wondering what Severus was thinking about when he finally turned round to join her, two rather full glasses of cognac held under a somewhat fake smile. He moved to sit next to her on the sofa and passed her the less full of the two glasses, then without a word took a large gulp of his drink. His smile disappeared, to be replaced by a rather wistful look.

'Better than butterbeer,' he announced, raising the glass before taking another large mouthful of the drink.

'Somewhat more alcoholic, though,' Sophie pointed out.

'True, but it's Christmas so what the hell, let's let our hair down.' He grinned at her and took another, smaller sip.

'The Headmaster certainly does love Christmas, doesn't he?' Sophie said. She tried to relax, aware that things were definitely not as comfortable between them as they usually were. He wasn't holding her, for a start, and it seemed strange and cold.

Snape gave a huge snort of derision. 'The man's a bloody menace, especially with those ridiculous hats. It's a wonder he doesn't go the whole hog and get us all into fancy dress.'

'I really liked our crowns, though,' Sophie replied honestly. 'I thought they were quite classy, especially compared to what everyone else had to wear.' She gazed at Snape and smiled. 'It was nice that they matched, as well. I wonder if that was a coincidence.'

'I don't believe in coincidences — not when bloody Albus Dumbledore is involved,' Snape growled before taking another sip of his drink.

Sophie thought of the mistletoe and wondered again whether the Headmaster had anything to do with it.

'Where does mistletoe come from?' she asked, looking intently at Snape.

He shrugged. 'It's a plant but it has magical properties, hence its ability to trap people under it.'

'But how was it in the corridor?' Sophie pushed. 'Does it just appear or did someone put it there?'

Snape grunted. 'It was probably Albus thinking he was being funny.'

Sophie smiled. 'Well, whoever it was, I'm glad they put it there.'

Snape looked at her in surprise. 'I have to admit I was a little surprised that you released me,' he admitted, his voice gruff.

'Why wouldn't I release you?' Sophie asked, sounding confused. She put her untouched drink on the coffee table in front of her.

Snape shrugged. 'I'm aware that I'm not exactly at the top of anyone's kiss list, Sophie. It would have been quite embarrassing had you not taken pity on me and released me.'

'I wasn't taking pity on you, Severus,' Sophie told him honestly. She moved closer to him, their faces now only an inch apart. 'I just wasn't giving anyone else the opportunity to move in on you.'

Snape gave a small bitter chuckle. 'Not much chance of that, I think. I am not as desirable as you paint me.'

'Oh, I don't know about that. I think you're extremely desirable,' Sophie whispered as she closed the gap between them, her lips meeting Snape's in another soft kiss.

Snape's heart was pounding in his chest. She had initiated the kissing once more, presumably as a prelude to breaking the bond, and he didn't know what to do next. He wanted her so much, wanted to keep kissing her forever, wanted to pick her up and carry her through to his bedroom and lay her down beneath him on his bed, and . . . but that would be the beginning of the end for them, would be the end of the life he had begun to enjoy so much, would be . . . what Sophie wanted.

He hesitated for a moment before wrapping his free arm around her, then pulled her close as they continued to kiss, knowing that he would never deny Sophie her chance at freedom regardless of his desires. At least she would be his for tonight and he would strive to make it as perfect as he could, would attempt to show her that he was capable of being caring; that she meant so much more to him now than just being his property because of a stupid debt. As the kiss came to an end he moved slightly to place his own glass on the table and then took Sophie in his arms once more, his lips seeking out hers for more of those wondrous kisses.

They had lain on the sofa together kissing for quite some time when Snape realised that he was going to have to be the one to move things on. Whilst Sophie had obviously prepared herself for what was going to happen and had initiated the kissing, it seemed she wasn't quite brave enough to follow through. His hands had been moving, caressing her while they kissed, as had hers — although never moving anywhere too exciting — but he couldn't keep doing this without needing something more. It was time to free Sophie from the bond so she could go back to her life, and to a relationship with Fred Weasley, no doubt.

Snape brought the latest kiss to an end and moved to pick her up, knowing the time was now. His entire being was a maelstrom of emotions. He wanted to make love to Sophie so badly it hurt, but at the same time the idea of losing her was almost tearing him apart. Why had he said he would release her once they made love? Why hadn't he made her understand that she belonged to him for eternity? But even as he cursed himself he knew why he had done it. It was an escape route for him, too. He hadn't wanted to be saddled with a young lover he would be stuck with forever. One night of passion was enough to satisfy the magic that bound them, then they could be separated. He had wanted it as much as Sophie at the time, but over the months they had spent together his view had changed.

For a moment he considered that he could have what he wanted. Regardless of what they had agreed, Sophie was only free if he said she was. He could refuse to release her, renege on his promise. For a moment his heart soared but then it crashed. A dark and painful feeling settled on him as he realised how despicable the thought was. Sophie wanted to be free, and he had promised her that she need only spend one night with him to achieve that. He couldn't break that promise or he would prove himself to be every bit as bad as she had thought him to begin with.

'What are you doing?' Sophie asked, her voice quiet but troubled. She was sure she knew but needed to make sure things didn't go too far for her to be able to stop the breaking of the bond.

'I want to make love to you so much,' Snape told her honestly, his voice gentler than she had ever heard it. 'I want to take you to bed and—'

'No!'

Sophie, panicked by the impending end of their relationship, struggled to get out of his arms as, shocked by her knockback, Snape dropped her back onto the sofa. With a nasty scowl back on his face he snatched up his glass and stormed over to the drinks cabinet, his heart thudding at the unexpected rejection. He didn't understand what was happening. Sophie wanted to be freed. She had made that more than clear. He couldn't understand how he might have misread the situation; that was what all the kissing had been about. But surely if she was so desperate to get away from him, if he was so completely loathsome to her, she wouldn't have stopped him . . . unless she really couldn't bring herself to do it, to get physically intimate with him at all, despite her desire to be free.

Sophie was shaking as she realised what she had just done. She was sure Severus didn't understand why she had stopped him from taking her to bed, because in reality she wanted it at least as much as he did. She had upset him with her reaction, the look on his face was testament to that, and once again she felt like crying. Perhaps if she tried to explain it to him he would understand and maybe . . . just maybe . . . .

She stood and moved towards him, touching his arm gently as with a slightly shaking voice she said, 'Severus, I'm so sorry.'

He swallowed deeply, pushing his pride deep inside as he turned to face her.

His voice was stiff as he replied, 'You have no need to apologise, Sophie. It's I who should be apologising to you. I am aware that you have no romantic feelings for me and have expressed no interest in ending our bond, but I'm afraid the kisses rather clouded things for me. I obviously saw something that wasn't there. I apologise most profusely and can assure you that in future there will be no physical contact between us unless you expressly request it.'

Sophie stared at him unhappily, feeling the tears prickling her eyes. She was aware from the stiffness of his voice that she had badly hurt Severus although she hadn't meant for it to happen. She reached out and took his hand, which he gave only reluctantly, and stroked it gently with her fingertips before bringing it up to her lips and kissing it.

'It's not that I don't want to make love to you,' she explained, as Snape looked at her with confusion. 'I do. I want it more than anything I've ever wanted in my life, Severus. I burn with desire for you, but it can't happen. I don't want to lose you.' She could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks now but was unable to do anything to stop them.

'Lose me? But why would you—' Snape began, sounding even more confused.

'Because you only gave us two choices in this relationship,' Sophie cried, cutting him off. 'Either I can have you only as a friend and I get to stay near you, or I can make love to you once but then I'll lose you forever.' She shook her head. 'I can't lose you forever, Severus. I'm in love with you, so I have no choice but to stay as your friend.'

'You're in love with me,' Snape repeated, sounding astonished. Then he frowned. 'But how did this happen?'

'How do you think it happened?' Sophie asked vehemently. 'I've spent so much time with you since the bond became effective that I've got to know you really well. You're nothing like I thought you were. The mean, scowling you that you project to the world is just an act, designed to keep people from getting close to you. That's not who you are inside, not the man I've come to know and love. It built gradually, starting with respect, and moved to desire. Whatever you may pretend to be, I know that really you're wonderful, Severus, and deep down you're kind — the choices you gave me when you could quite easily have forced me into a relationship with you proved that. It's just unfortunate that what I wanted then and what I want now are two completely different things, and your choices don't fit.'

She wiped away her tears and gave a small, embarrassed laugh as she added, 'Because I was so upset at what my parents had done to me I was too selfish to think about how you felt about the bond. I naturally assumed that you wanted me as your lover, that your refusal to free me was because you were determined to tie me to you regardless of what you said about freeing me. But I've come to realise that you didn't want the relationship any more than I did, you were just bound to the legality of it the same as me. Recently I began to think . . . no . . . maybe hope . . . that your feeling towards me had changed over time, as mine had for you, and that you wanted me, too, enough to offer another choice — one where we have the intimacy but then get to stay together. But I know now that isn't the case.' She stared at Snape, her eyes glittering with tears. 'I'm sorry, Severus, I know it's selfish but I can't be as generous as you. I can't give you freedom from the bond, I can't give you up. Not at the moment.'

Snape tried to process Sophie's words. A strange rushing feeling of delight spread through him. He could keep her! He could take her to bed and do all those things he had been thinking about almost since she had first come to him — and he could keep her afterwards. He could have this relationship that made him happier than he had been for years: he just had to say the words.

But then, just when he thought he would explode from joy, he was brought down to earth with a bump. He had a job to do, a dangerous job and one he had always known would probably end with his death. He was a spy for the Order of the Phoenix, a double agent entrenched in Voldemort's camp, providing Albus with useful information with which to defeat the megalomaniacal wizard. A relationship with Sophie, as wonderful as it would no doubt be, would be dangerous, especially for her. If it was true that she was in love with him, the kindest thing he could do would be to free her, to send her away from him and his dangerous life, however much he didn't want to. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he tried to gird himself for what he knew he needed to say.

Sophie's hand squeezed Snape's as she tried to work out what he was thinking. She had thought that after her confession she had seen something in his face, something that made her heart race with hope. But just as suddenly it disappeared, to be replaced by an expression she didn't like the look of. Had she annoyed him with her refusal to break the bond and now he was going to cast her away anyway? Was he going to deny her the chance to even stay with him as a friend? The idea was unbearable.

'I'm sorry, Severus,' she said in a small voice.

Seeming to suddenly realise she was there only at the sound of her voice, Snape stared at her with a frown.

'What are you sorry for?'

Sophie swallowed hard as she felt tears spring into her eyes again. How could she explain to Severus how much her feelings for him had changed, how she would do anything to take back what had just happened between them to keep them together because she could tell from the look on his face that he was going to send her away and she knew, just knew, that if he did that she wouldn't be able to bear the pain? She wouldn't be able to see him every day knowing she could never touch him, never kiss him; that she wouldn't even be able to speak to him outside of lessons. The thought made her cold and scared but she couldn't explain all this to him without making herself seem even more pathetic than he obviously already thought she was. Instead she hung her head, her fingers wiping her eyes as she tried desperately to stop the tears.

Snape stared at Sophie, the pain in his heart growing as he watched her start to cry. He had no idea what she was saying she was sorry for — was she apologising for falling in love with him? That thought almost made him laugh bitterly but he managed to stop himself for fear of upsetting her further. It was ridiculous that she should feel she had done something wrong when she had been thrust unknowing and unwilling into this situation in the first place. But what right had he to hurt her so when her feelings for him had evolved in the same way as his had for her? Sending her away wouldn't make things better for either of them, he suddenly realised. It would just make them both unhappy . . . would make him unhappier than he had been for a long time, and it wouldn't solve anything.

He thought again about his work for the Order of the Phoenix. Yes, it was dangerous, but then war was coming and soon it would be dangerous for everyone. That didn't stop anyone else from finding and grabbing hold of love. Surely he deserved some happiness, too, didn't he? After all this time, surely he had made amends for the terrible betrayal of his beloved Lily and he knew she wouldn't begrudge him some happiness with Sophie. There was still the problem of her young age, which would surely cause a few eyebrows to raise once it was known that they were a couple; but if Sophie was content, why should he worry about what other people thought? She was the only one whose opinion he cared about.

Like a great black raincloud lifting from his shoulders, Snape realised that this could work between them. The time they had spent getting to know each other had created a solid foundation upon which they could base a relationship. He could finally be happy, but he had to act quickly. Sophie had stopped crying now and was staring at him, waiting for him to say something, looking for reassurance. He grabbed her hands and pulled her towards him until there were only a few inches between them.

'Sophie, I don't want you to be bonded to me,' Snape said gravely. He held tightly to her as he looked deep into her eyes desperately wanting her to understand what he was saying.

'I know,' Sophie replied unhappily. 'But—'

'Please, love, let me finish,' Snape said, stroking her hands. 'I don't want our relationship to be because of the bond. I don't want there to be any suggestion that the bond is the only reason we're together.' He brought her hands to his lips and kissed each one gently. 'Let's get rid of the bond and start again — a whole new relationship built on love and respect — a bond of love, not one of duty.'

Sophie looked at him with astonishment, her heart beating faster with hope as she realised what Severus was suggesting.

'You don't want to get rid of me?' she whispered wonderingly.

Snape shook his head and released her hands, moving to sweep her into his arms and giving her a passionate kiss.

'I'm falling in love with you, too,' he admitted when they finally parted. He was still staring intently at Sophie. 'I know this is really too soon — I mean, we haven't even been intimate yet and you may change your mind once we have been — but I'm really hoping you'll consider making our relationship more permanent. You've got to know me pretty well over the last few months and you know what sort of man I am. I'm hopeful that you can put up with me regardless of what happens in the future.'

He realised Sophie was crying again and looked worriedly at her, wondering if he had said something wrong, but she was smiling, too, and laughing even as her tears fell.

'Are you saying—' she began, seemingly unable to stop the tears that fell with each beat of her racing heart.

'That I want you to marry me,' Snape finished for her. 'Once you leave school, of course. We should wait until then.' He released her for a second before taking her face in his hands and asking seriously, 'Will you marry me, Sophie?'

Sophie looked at him without saying anything for a moment and Snape was convinced his heart had stopped beating. She was so beautiful and he was more terrified than he had ever been in his life, waiting for her response.

She smiled again and tried to nod. 'Of course I will, Severus.'

Snape kissed her, not needing her to say anything further.

'Does that mean we can go to bed now?' Sophie asked once the kissing had eventually come to an end. 'I'm not going to lose you afterwards?'

Snape smiled fondly but his voice held a trace of hesitancy. 'If you're sure. I still have no desire to force you into something you don't want to do.'

'I want you more than I've ever wanted anything in my life,' Sophie admitted sincerely. 'So please don't worry about me, Severus. You've just made me the happiest girl in the world.'

Snape picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

'Well, if you're sure, it would be churlish of me to deny you.' He grinned as he carried her towards the bedroom.

'This really is the best Christmas I've ever had,' Sophie said happily. She put her arms around Snape's neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

'I can safely say it's mine, too,' Snape said honestly, and he walked into the bedroom and kicked the door closed behind him.


End file.
